OREANDA-NEWS. June 05, 2013. Kazakh Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov has held a meeting with Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission.

During the meeting the sides discussed a wide range of topical issues of the Kazakh-European cooperation and exchanged views on regional and international agenda.

"Our relations with the EU have been and remain a strategic priority," Akhmetov said.

The head of the European Commission called for further deepening of relations across the spectrum of relationships.

One of the key issues of the meeting was a new agreement on extended partnership and cooperation. The parties agreed to give impetus to the preparation of this document. According to the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, the agreement will bring the relationship between Kazakhstan and the EU to a new level.

Akhmetov and Barroso also discussed the prospects of Kazakhstan's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

"The government of Kazakhstan is grateful for your support in negotiations on the WTO accession. We hope that Kazakhstan, having passed a difficult way, will soon join the organization," Akhmetov emphasized.

For his part, Barroso said that "the European Union, the European Commission will continue to support Kazakhstan's efforts to join the WTO."